Pan Roasted Root Vegetables Balthazar Food

PAN-ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in one or two large skillets. (Don't crowd the vegetables.) When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and sauté until the cloves just begin to color, about 3 minutes.
• Add the diced vegetables, celery leaves and thyme, and turn heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables start to color around the edges. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, 5 to 6 minutes more. Add a splash of water, white wine or chicken stock and cook another 5 to 6 minutes.
• When the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized, add the butter and stir. Add the parsley and season aggressively with salt and pepper.

SHEET PAN ROASTED VEGETABLES

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix the zucchini, eggplant, carrots, tomatoes, onions and peppers with the oil, rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, oregano, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours, and preferably overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• On a large roasting pan, roast the vegetables, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the tomatoes have split and the edges of some of the vegetables are starting to crisp. Remove from the oven and stir before returning to the oven for another 20 minutes. At this time reduce heat to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) and continue cooking until vegetables are tender, turning every 20 minutes.

ROAST CHICKEN FOR TWO (BALTHAZAR)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, combine half the rosemary, thyme and parsley with the softened butter, using a fork to blend. Season with salt and pepper.
• Gently loosen the skin from the breast meat. Slide in a small dab of the herb butter. Massage the skin a little to work the butter around. Next do the same thing to the skin on the back. Season the cavity with salt, pepper and stuff in the leftover chopped herbs and the garlic. Smear the skin with any remaining herb butter and season with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with a small piece of butcher's twine and fold the wings under.
• Over a high flame, heat the olive oil in a heavy, oven-proof saute pan or roasting pan until it smokes. Place the bird on its side, searing the leg and breast. Leave it untouched in the pan for about 4 minutes unbtil the skin has turned golden brown. The cookbook used the word "burnished" which I sort of love. Using a pair of tongs, turn to brown the other breast, and then the top and bottom of the bird, being carefull not to pierce the skin with said tongs.
• At this point add the vegetables and toss to coat in the olive oil and rendered chicken fat. Add the chicken stock and place the pan in the oven. Roast the chicken for about 40 minutes (for 5 pound birds, I roasted them for 1 hour). If the chicken starts to get too dark, cover with a loose foil tent. To test for doneness, pierce the joint where the leg connects to the body - the juices should run clear (the internal temperature should be 155 degrees F).
• Remove the chicken and vegetables from the roasting pan and cover with foil. Place the pan on the stove over a high heat. If it seems to oily, remove some of the fat with a spoon. Add the wine and deglaze the pan to make the pan sauce. Continue to cook the sauce until it's reduced by half and thickened. You probably won't need to add any flour or anything, although I did add about a teaspoon of butter right at the end.

BALTHAZAR'S BRAISED BEEF RIBS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F
• Bind each rib with cotton kitchen twine. Place the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf between the two celery halves and bind with kitchen twine.
• Season the short ribs with 2 teaspoons of the salt and the pepper.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over a high flame until it smokes.
• In two batches, brown the short ribs well on both sides, about 3 minutes per side, pouring off all but 3 tablespoons of oil between batches.
• Remove the ribs and set aside when done.
• Lower the flame to medium, and add the carrots, onion, shallots, and garlic to the pot and saute for 5 minutes, until the onion is soft and light brown.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the flour and stir well to combine. Add the port, red wine, and the celery-herb bundle.
• Raise the flame to high and cook until the liquid is reduced by a third, about 20 minutes.
• Return the ribs to the pot (they will stack into two layers).
• Add the stock and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt; if the stock doesn't cover the ribs by at least 1 inch, add water up to that level.
• Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, transfer to the preheated oven, and cook for 3 hours. Visit the pot occasionally and stir the ribs, bringing the ones on the bottom up to the top -- they're done when the meat is fork tender and falling off the bone.
• Transfer the ribs to a large platter and remove the strings.
• Skim any fat from the surface of the sauce, and then strain through a sieve into a medium saucepan.
• Discard the solids.
• Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a strong simmer and reduce the liquid until slightly less then half (4 cups) remains, about 1 hour.
• Return the ribs to the pot, simmer for 10 minutes to reheat, and serve.

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Peel vegetables (optional) and cut them into 1- to 2-inch chunks, put them in a baking pan and toss with the oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
• Put the vegetables in the oven and roast without stirring for 20 minutes, then check. If they look dry and are sticking to the pan, drizzle with more oil. Continue roasting, stirring or turning the vegetables once, for another 20 minutes or so. Stir in the herbs, then return the pan to the oven for another 20 to 40 minutes, until crisp. Remove from the oven. Garnish with rosemary or thyme.

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place the root vegetables and onion in a roasting pan.
• Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and salt to taste.
• Do not crowd the vegetables.
• Roast the mixture for a total of 45-50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, scatter the garlic cloves in with the vegetables.
• Continue stirring every 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender and evenly browned.
• Before serving, add a sprinkling of fresh chopped herbs or balsamic vinegar, if you like for additional flavor.

PAN-ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES - BALTHAZAR

Steps:

• 1. Heat the olive oil in one or two large skillets. (Don't crowd the vegetables.) When the oil begins to shimmer, add the garlic and sauté until the cloves just begin to color, about 3 minutes.
• 2. Add the diced vegetables, celery leaves and thyme, and turn heat to high. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes, until the vegetables start to color around the edges. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, 5 to 6 minutes more. Add a splash of water, white wine or chicken stock and cook another 5 to 6 minutes.
• 3. When the vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized, add the butter and stir. Add the parsley and season aggressively with salt and pepper. Serves 4. Adapted from "The Balthazar Cookbook," by Keith McNally, Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson.